The invention relates to monorail hoists.
Monorail hoists include a single support beam and a suspended hoist assembly for engaging and moving a load. Because the hoist assembly hangs from the single support beam, it is necessary to balance the overall weight distribution of the hoist assembly in order to prevent the hoist assembly from being cocked. It is known to weld counterweights to a hoist assembly to balance the hoist assembly.
As generally known, a hoist assembly may be imbalanced for a number of reasons such as, for example, a difference in weight between the various components of the hoist assembly, or how the various components of the hoist assembly are assembled. One problem with the noted known manner of balancing a hoist assembly is that welding counterweights to the hoist assembly adds additional expense to the overall manufacturing and assembling costs for the hoist assembly. Another problem with this known manner of balancing a hoist assembly concerns repairs to or replacements of various components of the hoist assembly in the field. It is not uncommon that from time to time various components of a hoist assembly such as, for example, a motor or a gearcase, may need repairing or replacing. As can be appreciated, such a repair or replacement may alter the overall weight distribution of the components making up the hoist assembly. When the overall weight distribution is changed, some of the counterweights already welded to the hoist assembly will have to be removed and/or additional counterweights will have to be added. In any event, the removal of counterweights which have previously been welded to a hoist assembly, or the welding of additional counterweights to the hoist assembly, involves the use of costly equipment and requires time-consuming processes which also results in nonprofitable increased labor costs.